This animation was created with the help of a few javascripts I wrote for Softimage XSI back in 2006. One script would generate DNA fragments down the length of an curve that had cloth dynamics applied to it. A second script would generate complementary A, C, G and T fragments that would ease their way over to the original strip, and twist the strip as they become assembled. My coworkers handled the camera movement and the finer points of the rendering and compositing.
Mark Bamforth